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Hybrid
Hybrid is the latest entry into the already over-saturated market of chest-high cover shooters. To separate itself from the herd Hybrid, developed by 5th Cell Media (Scribblenauts), removes a lot of movement freedom away from the player's control.
Sure, there is still a good deal of shooting, death, killing, and all of it is still rewarded with a level and progression system that will make fans of those systems incredibly happy. However, players cannot simply run around the map and take cover wherever they please. This isn't Gears of War here. This isn't even Call of Duty. This is Hybrid, a game that lets you move to one of three positions behind a low wall, and then jump to another wall within their line of sight, rinse and repeat.
That's not to say that there isn't more to the game than this, but that is the basic gist of it. While hopping from one area to another, you are still able to alter direction and go back the way you came, or hop over barriers to the side opposite of you, or select a new location on the fly. But you aren't really doing anything more than visually spotting an area, hitting a button, and watching your character fly to that location.
When I say "fly" that is precisely what I mean. The levels of Hybrid are all about adding a greater dimension to the gameplay by placing walls and barricades on the floor, ceiling, and walls. This ensures that the element of surprise is always present given how your foe can be above you, behind you, to either side of you, or even just on the other side of that wall you thought was your safety net. Rarely will you want to go into a battle with guns blazing. Rambo-esque players will quickly discover that they will get absolutely demolished. Retreating is probably more important here than in many other cover shooters and surveying your immediate environment are two important keys to success.
It's this limitation in movement that also proves to be the greatest threat to every player. Take away the freedom of movement and suddenly you're left with only a handful of pre-determined cover locations that may or may not have enemies lying in wait. These elements work together to push a great deal of strategy into a genre that has been done to near death by many other shooters out there. This strategic element is also present in many of the player's secondary abilities. Choose to aid your teammates by popping a healing ability, or call out positions of enemies by utilizing your X-ray vision ability. Depending on which abilities you have selected in your load out, a well-oiled team will absolutely steamroll another team where everyone is playing only for themselves.
Going beyond the norm for cooperative team play, 5th Cell has also included a persistent war-like aspect to the entire game. Players select which side they would like to play for over a period of a few weeks or months. This side can then target specific regions, be they high value but difficult to win targets, or low value but easier battles. Each time you win a match, you help your side in the collective war effort. A global map helps to pinpoint which region you should focus on attacking but a better way for factions to discuss strategy with one another would have been nice.
Overall, the global war idea is a very neat one. It actually feels as though you are making a difference when your team caps off a particular area for your side. This game is almost like a competitive console player's wet dream. There are stats, unlocks, and upgrades on an individual level, stats on a local level for winning a match, and stats and progression on a global scale.
Unfortunately, the game is not without its fair share of sore spots. Players can, if they so choose to do so, spend real-world currency to immediately unlock just about anything you want to. This includes weapons, character customization, and even experience buffs. The unlocking system is a bit hit and miss as well. Without the means to try out a weapon before selecting it at each rank up, you may be stuck with something you immediately regret without a free and easy way to select the alternative. Of course, you can always just plunk down a few dollars to buy the weapon of your dreams.
Load times can also be a bit of a pain. For a game that sits only on the player's hard drive, it's unfortunate that the load times are as long as they are. Another issue may be that the game is multiplayer only. There is no single-player component to the game at all. This means that in order to play Hybrid, you will need an internet connection and an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. Match sizes are limited to just 6 players in a 3v3 setting. While it fits in with the scale of the maps, it still feels incredibly limited for those of you used to much larger player counts found in many modern shooters.
In the end, 5th Cell has really surprised us here. For a company that is more recently known for developing the unique, cute, and light-hearted Scribblenauts series of games, they have proven here that they are quite capable of hanging with the big dogs in the world of cover-based shooters. In fact, they have surpassed many of the bigger titles simply by offering a number of new features into the fold, something that other developers should take note of.
Priced at just 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15 USD), Hybrid is available now on the Xbox Live Arcade. If you're a fan of competitive shooters but tired of the same old formula, you should definitely give Hybrid a look.
Relevant Links
Hybrid on Xbox.com
Hybrid Official Website
Hybrid was provided to TGN for review purposes. The game was reviewed on the Xbox 360. Hybrid is rated T for Teen.
Hybrid is the latest entry into the already over-saturated market of chest-high cover shooters. To separate itself from the herd Hybrid, developed by 5th Cell Media (Scribblenauts), removes a lot of movement freedom away from the player's control.
Sure, there is still a good deal of shooting, death, killing, and all of it is still rewarded with a level and progression system that will make fans of those systems incredibly happy. However, players cannot simply run around the map and take cover wherever they please. This isn't Gears of War here. This isn't even Call of Duty. This is Hybrid, a game that lets you move to one of three positions behind a low wall, and then jump to another wall within their line of sight, rinse and repeat.
That's not to say that there isn't more to the game than this, but that is the basic gist of it. While hopping from one area to another, you are still able to alter direction and go back the way you came, or hop over barriers to the side opposite of you, or select a new location on the fly. But you aren't really doing anything more than visually spotting an area, hitting a button, and watching your character fly to that location.
When I say "fly" that is precisely what I mean. The levels of Hybrid are all about adding a greater dimension to the gameplay by placing walls and barricades on the floor, ceiling, and walls. This ensures that the element of surprise is always present given how your foe can be above you, behind you, to either side of you, or even just on the other side of that wall you thought was your safety net. Rarely will you want to go into a battle with guns blazing. Rambo-esque players will quickly discover that they will get absolutely demolished. Retreating is probably more important here than in many other cover shooters and surveying your immediate environment are two important keys to success.
It's this limitation in movement that also proves to be the greatest threat to every player. Take away the freedom of movement and suddenly you're left with only a handful of pre-determined cover locations that may or may not have enemies lying in wait. These elements work together to push a great deal of strategy into a genre that has been done to near death by many other shooters out there. This strategic element is also present in many of the player's secondary abilities. Choose to aid your teammates by popping a healing ability, or call out positions of enemies by utilizing your X-ray vision ability. Depending on which abilities you have selected in your load out, a well-oiled team will absolutely steamroll another team where everyone is playing only for themselves.
Going beyond the norm for cooperative team play, 5th Cell has also included a persistent war-like aspect to the entire game. Players select which side they would like to play for over a period of a few weeks or months. This side can then target specific regions, be they high value but difficult to win targets, or low value but easier battles. Each time you win a match, you help your side in the collective war effort. A global map helps to pinpoint which region you should focus on attacking but a better way for factions to discuss strategy with one another would have been nice.
Overall, the global war idea is a very neat one. It actually feels as though you are making a difference when your team caps off a particular area for your side. This game is almost like a competitive console player's wet dream. There are stats, unlocks, and upgrades on an individual level, stats on a local level for winning a match, and stats and progression on a global scale.
Unfortunately, the game is not without its fair share of sore spots. Players can, if they so choose to do so, spend real-world currency to immediately unlock just about anything you want to. This includes weapons, character customization, and even experience buffs. The unlocking system is a bit hit and miss as well. Without the means to try out a weapon before selecting it at each rank up, you may be stuck with something you immediately regret without a free and easy way to select the alternative. Of course, you can always just plunk down a few dollars to buy the weapon of your dreams.
Load times can also be a bit of a pain. For a game that sits only on the player's hard drive, it's unfortunate that the load times are as long as they are. Another issue may be that the game is multiplayer only. There is no single-player component to the game at all. This means that in order to play Hybrid, you will need an internet connection and an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. Match sizes are limited to just 6 players in a 3v3 setting. While it fits in with the scale of the maps, it still feels incredibly limited for those of you used to much larger player counts found in many modern shooters.
In the end, 5th Cell has really surprised us here. For a company that is more recently known for developing the unique, cute, and light-hearted Scribblenauts series of games, they have proven here that they are quite capable of hanging with the big dogs in the world of cover-based shooters. In fact, they have surpassed many of the bigger titles simply by offering a number of new features into the fold, something that other developers should take note of.
Priced at just 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15 USD), Hybrid is available now on the Xbox Live Arcade. If you're a fan of competitive shooters but tired of the same old formula, you should definitely give Hybrid a look.
Overall: 7.5/10
Gameplay: 7.5/10
Audio: 8/10
Visuals: 7/10
Controls: 9/10
Gameplay: 7.5/10
Audio: 8/10
Visuals: 7/10
Controls: 9/10
Relevant Links
Hybrid on Xbox.com
Hybrid Official Website
Hybrid was provided to TGN for review purposes. The game was reviewed on the Xbox 360. Hybrid is rated T for Teen.
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